Holdback-fastening.



No. 788,507. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905. L. W. ASHLEY.

HOLDBAGK FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s, 1903.

Wafn e s'eg I ave 72607- section.

NITED STATES Patented May 2,1905.

LEONARD IV. ASHLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HOLDBACK-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,507, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed September 8, 1903. $eria1No. 172,370.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD W. AsnLilY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Holdback-Fastenings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved device for attaching the holdback-straps of harness to the shafts of the vehicle.

It consists in the features of construction set out in the claims.

7 In the drawings, Figure 1is an edge elevation of a piece of a shaft having my improved holdback device attached thereto, the holdback-strap being also shown in position. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the fitting with the strap removed, the strap-holding element being shown in the position occupied in use when under the strain of the holdback. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the device removed from the shaft, showing the strap-holdingelement in position during insertion into the other element which is mounted on the shaft. Fig. 4 is a detail section of the fitting at the line 14 on Fig. 1.

My device comprises an element 1 for mounting on the shaft and an element 2 for connecting the holdback-strap. The element 1 is a plate designed to be mounted on the under side of the shaft, having a slot 3 extending from the inner edge obliquely back outward, the same being undercut at its lateral margins, making it dovetailed in cross- At the outer end of the slot it has the enlargement 4 in the extent of the undercut, adapting it to receive at that point a more widely-flanged cooperating device than can be accommodated in the remainder of the longitudinal extent of the slot. The element 2 for securing the strap is a plate having two transverse slots 6 and 7, leaving standing the transverse end bars 8 and 9 and the broader middle transverse bar 10, from the last of which there is provided projecting back substantially at right angles to the general extent of said bar the stud-post 11, which is 5 flanged or widened at the end to form a head 12, which is beveled on the under side-that is, toward the root of the post. The post is in diameter adapted to be accommodated in the slot 3, and the head is oblong, with its longer dimension oblique to the bars of the elements 2 and in its shorter dimension adapted to be accommodated in the dovetail or undercut extensions of the slot 3, so that when the said element 2 is placed with the longer dimension of the head of the stud coinciding with the oblique trend of the slot 3 of the element 1 it may be moved the full length of the'slot, bringing the head into the enlarged portion 4 at the end of the slot, and said enlarged portion is adapted to accommodate the longer dimension of the head, and thereby permits the element 1 to be turned after the head reaches said enlargement to bring the said longer dimension transverse to the trend of the slot, which brings the bars of the element 2 approximately transverse to the shaft and directly transverse to the pull of theholdback. In this position it will be seen that the element 2 cannot escape from engagement with the element 1 by any movement of the head 12 of the stud longitudinally in the slot and that to efl?ect such movement and permit the disengagement of the two elements 1 and 2 the latter must be turned to bring the head 12 of the stud into the oblique position at which it entered. l/Vhen the head stands in this oblique position that is, with its longer dimension coinciding with the trend of the slot it will be seen that the element 2 is at right angles to its normal position that is,

it has its bars extending longitudinally instead of transversely with respect to the shaft and with respect to the direction of the holdback pull and it will be seen that the said element 2 cannot be brought to such position when attached to the holdback-strap by any pull on the strap, either directly forward or directly back, but only by a pull substantially directly inward. The holdback-strap obviously cannot be brought into such position by any movement of the horse while the tugs remain hitched and practically cannot be brought to such position except by the action of one I attempting purposely to disengage the parts, as in unhitching.

Preferably in order to prevent the slot in the element 1 becoming clogged with ice or mud or to permit easy removal of such obstruction the back web is apertured at 13 and has bosses 15 around the holes 14, through which the bolts or screws take to secure it to the shaft, so that the plate is held at a little distance from the under surface of the shaft,

' and access can thereby be obtained from the back through the aperture 13 to clear the slot of obstruction.

The element 2, to which the strap is connected, has the two bars 8 and 9, as described,

for the purpose of adapting it to be held on the strap in such manner that it cannot turn thereon, but shall be always with certainty in a position controlled by the position of the strap. For this purpose the strap is passed through the slot 6 from behind or under the bar 8, thence outside the middle bar 10 and through the slot 7 under or behind the bar 9, and being folded completely around the latter bar is passed back again over the bar 10, through the slot 6, and under or behind the bar 8 to the buckle. The distance longitudinally with respect to the strap between the two bars 8 and 9 is calculated to insure the strap extending at all times transversely to the bars and prevent the metal element from turning relatively to the strap.

It will he noticed that if the tug should become detached the continued travel of the horse out from between the shafts would swing the hold back-fastening inward through an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees, and in turning so far the point at which the oblong head of the stud 12 could escape from the oblique slot 3 will be passed, and at that point the forward pull would withdraw the post through the slot, thus disengaging the harness from the shafts and preventing the injury likely to result to horse and vehicle from a runaway caused by fright of the animal, which is likely to occur under such circumstances.

I claim- 1. Adevice for the purpose indicated, comprising a plate adapted to be secured to the shaft having a slot which is laterally undercut at its opposite parallel sides, open at the forward end only, in combination with an element provided with means by which it may be seated and held non-rotatably on the strap, and having a stud projecting from the side opposite the seat of the strap, such stud having an enlarged head conformed at its entire periphery to the undercut and adapted to enter and be engaged with the undercut slot, the head being oblong, with its longer dimension transverse to the length of the strap and greater than the width of the undercut slot, the slot having its undercut circularly enlarged at the rear end to a diameter equal to the longer dimension of said oblong head to accommodate said longer dimension of said head, to permit the stud to turn in the slot at that end only.

2. A device for the purpose stated, com prising a plate adapted to be mounted on a shaft having a slot open at the forward end and extending obliquely rearward and outward, such slot being laterally undercut at its opposite parallel sides, in combination with an element adapted to be mounted non-rotatably upon a strap and having projecting from the side opposite that at which the strap is seated a stud or post adapted to enter the slot and having a head flared at its entire periphery conforming to the undercut adapted to engage the lateral undercut of the slot, such head being oblong, with its longer dimension greater than the transverse dimension of the slot including the lateral undercut diverging from the longitudinal direction of the strap-seat obliquely to the opposite side from that to which the slot in the plate diverges obliquely from foreand-aft direction, the slot having its undercut circularly enlarged at the closed end to a diameter equal to the longer dimension of said oblong head to accommodate the longer dimension of said head.

3. In combination with the plate having the oblique slot undercut at its opposite parallel sides with the forward open end and the circular enlargement in the undercut at the rear, the strap-holding element having two transverse slots separated and bounded by transverse bars, and the strap extending through said slots and engaged around the bar which bounds the forward one, and having the stud projecting from the side opposite the strapseat provided with a head enlarged throughout its periphery to conform to the undercut adapted to enter the undercut, and elongated in a direction which is transverse to the trend of the slot when the strap extends substantially foreand aft.

4. In combination with the strap-holding element adapted to be carried non-rotatably on the strap and having projecting from the side opposite the strap-seat a stud with an enlarged and oblong head whose longer dimension is oblique to the length of the strap, the plate mounted on the under side of the shaft and spaced therefrom provided with a downwardly-open slot open at the forward end, undercut laterally and extending obliquely rearward and outward and provided with a transverse enlargement of its undercut at the rear, the web of said plate being apertured through from the slot to give access thereto from be tween the shaft and the plate.

5. In combination with the plate having a slot open at the forward end and undercut at its opposite parallel sides and having a circular enlargement of the undercut at the rear end, the strap-holding element having a stud projecting from the side opposite the strapseat provided with an enlarged oblong head whose longer dimension is transverse to the trend of the slot when the strap is in operative position.

6. In combination with the strap-holding element adapted to be carried non-rotatably on the strap and having projecting from the side opposite the strap-seat a stud with an oblong head enlarged at its entire periphery whose longer dimension is oblique to the length and pull of the strap, the plate mounted on the shaft and having a slot open at the forward end and undercut laterally and extending obliquely rearward and outward, and provided with a transverse enlargement of its undercut at the rear.-

7. A device for the purpose indicated, comprising a plate adapted to be secured to the shaft having a slot which is laterally undercut and open at the lateral edge situated at the inner'side of the shaft, in combination with an element provided with means by which it may be seated and held non-rotatably on a strap, and having a stud projecting from the side opposite the seat of the strap, such stud having an enlarged head and adapted to enter and be engaged with the undercut slot, the head being oblong with its longer dimension transverse to the length of the strap and greater than the width of the undercut slot, the slot having its undercut enlarged transversely at the end to accommodate the longer dimension of said head to permit the stud to turn in the slot at the end only.

8. In combination with a plate having an undercut slot open at the forward end and having a transverse enlargement of the undercut at the rear end, the strap-holding element having an integral stud projecting from the side opposite the strap-seat, provided with an enlarged oblong head whose longer dimension is transverse to the trend of the slot when the strap is in operative position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 27th day of .August, A. D. 1903.

LEONARD W. ASHLEY. In presence of- FRED G. FISCHER, J. S. ABBOTT. 

